Press splitter 1 – July, 17th 2008

Salvo! The ”Gorch Fock“ becomes 50. Celebration is in Rostock
at the Hanse Sail
Germany’s most beautiful ambassadress becomes 50 years old. The anniversary of the flagship of the German navy, the bark "Gorch Fock", will be celebrated in Rostock at the 18. Hanse Sail, from August 7th to 10th 2008: with an ad hoc published special stamp, with music and flag parade.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as well as Rostocks inhabitant and guests are pleased on the renewed visit of the "Gorch Fock". For the ship, its master crew and the young navel offspring it is the 7th visit in Rostock-Warnemünde since 1991. Whether 1991 at the 1st Hanse Sail, when round about 5000 people at the passenger dock of the seaside resort Warnemünde send an applause to the " Gorch Fock" during the docking maneuver, or  with other stays, the ship with the albatross at the bow is always the main attraction. 

The "Gorch Fock" represents German seafaring history of the modern times. The launch has been 1958 at the Hamburg shipyard Blohm & Voss. The ship is 81, 44 meters long, 12 meters wide and has a sail area of 2037 square meters; the largest mast height is 45, 30 meters.
 
During its training journeys, the bark has been in the most important ports of all continents and stands for the tendency of the Federal Republic to network the friendly connections with other peoples and cultures. On the way in the missions of the diplomacy and the hard training of prospective NCOs and officers of the „blue boys": All in all 15,000 candidates of both naval careers have been trained on the “Gorch Fock" in 50 years. Within five decades the ship covered a distance of 7.500.000 nautical miles and visited over 300 ports of 40 countries. At the Hanse Sail the Rostockian Shantychor "De Klaashahns" will be singing at the dock in front of the "Gorch Fock". At the anniversary birthday the concert only can start with this old sailor song: „White is the ship that we love" - it is the „Gorch Fock Song".

At the Hanse Sail a lexicon of shipbuilding art
will be "swimming" in Rostock
David and Goliath will meet each other and for the most beautiful days of the year the seaside resort Warnemünde will present big theatre on the waterside. At the 18. Hanse Sail, cruise ships will meet cogs of the time of Hanseatic League, classical traditional ships and speed yachts in the biggest city of Mecklenburg- Western Pomerania. Four cruise ships with altogether round about 5000 passengers from 35 nations will call at the passengers dock Warnemünde for Rostocks large maritime celebration.

The "Celebrity Constellation" will come on the eve of the Hanse Sail and is "the white lady of the seas": 294 meters long, 90,228 gross register tons, round about 2400 passengers, 990 crew members, over 60.000 HP of drive power and a high of 50 meters from the waterline to the last point of the cover superstructures. It will meet for example the true to original cog replica "Roland of Bremen" in Rostock.

A fascinating contrast at the Hanse Sail will be the difference between the very young beauties and the veterans of the seas. The cruiser ship of the Rostockian shipping company AIDA Cruises “AIDAbella“, baptized on April 23rd 2008 and the traditional ship "Norden" (1870) will demonstrate this impressively in the ship canal on August 11th.

Just in time to the Sail Saturday on August 9th the "Prinsendam" with a proud length of 204 m and the "Regatta" with 181 m call to the Cruise Center Warnemünde. The combined round about 1500 passengers of both ships will have reason for being astonished: a highlight of the Hanse Sail will be the squadron trip of all 250 Hanse Sail ships on the Baltic Sea in front of Warnemünde. In the year 2008 Rostock experiences 116 arrivals of cruise ships. Round about 170,000 passengers from more than 40 countries of all five continents visit the old Hanse and University City Rostock during the eight to 14 days lasting Baltic Sea round trips.

With more than 12 bends across the seas
The educational sail ship " Mlodziezy" , translate into German "Geschenk der Jugend“, will moorage again from August 7th to 11th at the passenger dock in Warnemünde. The Polish full rigged ship is one of the fastest sailer of the world and was built 1982 at the dockyard in Gdansk. It belongs to the same family as the windjammers "Mir" and "Khersones". The ship can stay up to 60 days on open water, without calling a port, ideally for large sea voyages.

Tickets for trips at the Hanse Sail can be acquired by the Tall Ship reservation center under (0381) 208 5226. The evening trips and the regatta trips on Saturday are already well booked. Therefore the best chance of success for getting a ticket is the daily trip on Sunday. On August 11 the "Dar Mlodziezy" set sail toward the Dutch city Den Helder. There for passionate sailors are looked for, because for large sea voyages the “Dar" is the ideal ship. And this not only because of the considerable speed under sails with over twelve bends, but also concerning the good catering on board.

From rock to shanties:
the musical program of the 18. Hanse Sail is colorful
Among the 2nd port symphony on August 7th and the Symphonic Pop Orchestra in the IGA park on August 8th (ticket hotline 0381 - 60 93 50) the Hanse Sail offers more cultural proposals. The stage program is as various as the participating ships. Whether beat-music or shanties, rock or pop - each taste will be satisfied. On August 7th bands of the partner country Latvia provide the musical and optical entertainment. The group "Dancis" shows dances from its native country and the "Podzinas" play Latvian pop music. Starting from 9 p.m. "The Hobos" cast a spell on the listeners with their romantic rock music on the Hanse Sail stage.

The numerous stages are always hot spots. At the Hanse Sail the NDR presents for example "Alphaville", "Nevio" and "Madcon". Also radio Antenne Mecklenburg-Vorpommern participates again and presents itself on a stage at next to the granary.

On the Sail Saturday the star of the evening at the Hanse Sail stage is Peter Schilling & Band. Groups as „Five men on the rocks“, the "Crazy Boys" or " Stone" are going to get the audience fired up with Rock ' n' Roll. Of cause shanties will sound everywhere at the Sail. Six choirs present themselves on the big maritime event: the "Gruppe Breitling" , "Luv und Lee" , "Klaashahns" (all Rostock), the Shantychor Rehburg vom Steinhuder Meer, the "Shantychor Ruesselsheim and the “Neckar-Knurrhähne" from Swabia.

Tourismuszentrale Rostock & Warnemünde
Accountable: Holger Bellgardt
Editorial office: Britta Trapp
Tel. +49 (0)381 208 52 39
Fax +49 (0)381 20 8 52 41
britta.trapp@rostock.de